Cons of using a lead gen agency
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 5:55 am
When your schedule and staff are stretched thin, it can be incredibly tempting to seek short-term solutions to remove some of the burdens. However, these temporary opportunities can often turn into long-term headaches.
At the outset, these services appear to fulfill an important function —quickly securing a high volume of leads for businesses struggling to identify prospective clients. Over time, however, disappointed lead poland whatsapp gen clients observe a discrepancy between quality and quantity.
The leads so swiftly acquired by these agencies reveal themselves as not relevant to the businesses you aim to serve. Lead gen agencies often focus on quick fixes, so they fail to acquire an in-depth understanding of buyer personae or ideal customer profiles.
The result? A long list of leads that provide a minimal return on investment. Without a targeted approach, lead gen agencies end up sending you leads that are not qualified based on your target audience or general approach to B2B marketing.
Beyond this core problem, additional downsides of working with a lead gen agency might include:
No control over timing. The timing of your leads matters, including their journey through the sales funnel. Unfortunately, timing can be difficult to control when you rely on lead gen agencies. These services may rush the sales funnel rather than maintain the slow and steady process that genuine nurturing requires.
No CRM integration. Where do qualified leads go once they have been identified and vetted? Ideally, your streamlined workflow will include integration with your customer relationship management (CRM) solution. This should optimize the transition from lead, prospect, and, finally, client. Unfortunately, lead gen agencies often neglect to provide easy CRM integration.
In-house lead generation
Businesses that keep lead generation in-house employ B2B marketing professionals who are highly trained in — and passionate about — lead generation and nurturing. Enterprises with large marketing departments may be able to use lead generation specialists, while others may need to get generalists, such as marketing assistants, involved.
Pros of keeping lead generation in-house
If you want to make the most out of each and every lead, in-house lead gen is the way to go. This curated approach delivers the specific types of leads your business requires because it depends on professionals who are intimately familiar with your brand and your target client.
Instead of wasting time on irrelevant leads that don't pan out, an in-house team allows you to focus on prospects that are most likely to convert, delivering the greatest ROI. Other advantages worth considering include:
Real-time access. With lead nurturing, time is of the essence. The sooner you follow up with qualified leads, the more likely you will score higher conversion rates. In-house solutions provide a huge advantage from a timing perspective because they offer direct access to leads.
Search engine optimization. SEO can complement and enhance lead-generation efforts by bringing extra traffic to your website. With the right lead gen solution, this traffic can then be analyzed to determine which visitors constitute the most qualified leads. Lead gen reps typically don't provide high-quality SEO services. Therefore, SEO, like lead gen, will ultimately be more targeted and effective if it remains in-house.
Alignment with marketing campaigns. Brand consistency is key to developing trust among both leads and current clients. But, this quality can be difficult to maintain when you rely on outside agencies that don’t specialize in your niche. When lead generation is completed in-house, leads are more likely to be selected based on the realities of your current marketing campaigns.
Fine-tune the process with the data. When you manage lead gen in-house using a tool like Leadfeeder, you’ll be able to stay on top of the data. The LF sales leaders look at their funnels and sales cycles constantly, always adjusting with the market, new offerings, a customer asks, and everything in between.
At the outset, these services appear to fulfill an important function —quickly securing a high volume of leads for businesses struggling to identify prospective clients. Over time, however, disappointed lead poland whatsapp gen clients observe a discrepancy between quality and quantity.
The leads so swiftly acquired by these agencies reveal themselves as not relevant to the businesses you aim to serve. Lead gen agencies often focus on quick fixes, so they fail to acquire an in-depth understanding of buyer personae or ideal customer profiles.
The result? A long list of leads that provide a minimal return on investment. Without a targeted approach, lead gen agencies end up sending you leads that are not qualified based on your target audience or general approach to B2B marketing.
Beyond this core problem, additional downsides of working with a lead gen agency might include:
No control over timing. The timing of your leads matters, including their journey through the sales funnel. Unfortunately, timing can be difficult to control when you rely on lead gen agencies. These services may rush the sales funnel rather than maintain the slow and steady process that genuine nurturing requires.
No CRM integration. Where do qualified leads go once they have been identified and vetted? Ideally, your streamlined workflow will include integration with your customer relationship management (CRM) solution. This should optimize the transition from lead, prospect, and, finally, client. Unfortunately, lead gen agencies often neglect to provide easy CRM integration.
In-house lead generation
Businesses that keep lead generation in-house employ B2B marketing professionals who are highly trained in — and passionate about — lead generation and nurturing. Enterprises with large marketing departments may be able to use lead generation specialists, while others may need to get generalists, such as marketing assistants, involved.
Pros of keeping lead generation in-house
If you want to make the most out of each and every lead, in-house lead gen is the way to go. This curated approach delivers the specific types of leads your business requires because it depends on professionals who are intimately familiar with your brand and your target client.
Instead of wasting time on irrelevant leads that don't pan out, an in-house team allows you to focus on prospects that are most likely to convert, delivering the greatest ROI. Other advantages worth considering include:
Real-time access. With lead nurturing, time is of the essence. The sooner you follow up with qualified leads, the more likely you will score higher conversion rates. In-house solutions provide a huge advantage from a timing perspective because they offer direct access to leads.
Search engine optimization. SEO can complement and enhance lead-generation efforts by bringing extra traffic to your website. With the right lead gen solution, this traffic can then be analyzed to determine which visitors constitute the most qualified leads. Lead gen reps typically don't provide high-quality SEO services. Therefore, SEO, like lead gen, will ultimately be more targeted and effective if it remains in-house.
Alignment with marketing campaigns. Brand consistency is key to developing trust among both leads and current clients. But, this quality can be difficult to maintain when you rely on outside agencies that don’t specialize in your niche. When lead generation is completed in-house, leads are more likely to be selected based on the realities of your current marketing campaigns.
Fine-tune the process with the data. When you manage lead gen in-house using a tool like Leadfeeder, you’ll be able to stay on top of the data. The LF sales leaders look at their funnels and sales cycles constantly, always adjusting with the market, new offerings, a customer asks, and everything in between.